Why We Should Revere The Breathalyzer
Driving a car while under the influence of alcohol is, sadly, a modern-day scourge. Yet people still continue to drink and drive without realizing the fatal consequences and devastation that even a limited amount of alcohol can lead to. Despite hard hitting seasonal advertising campaigns and tragic newspaper reports the message seems to fall on deaf ears. Random roadside testing, although still controversial, is a deterrent which is being strongly, urgently, reconsidered to reinforce the message to drivers by letting them know they could be stopped any time and tested for alcohol.
Drivers have been taking the law into their own hands for years and disobeying rules as they thought they would never get caught, or so they thought! Young, old, male and female, all genders and ages are guilty of this heinous arrogance. There is no reason for this destructive behaviour to continue and random roadside breath testing is the way forward to force these misguided drivers take responsibility for their actions. Drinking can loosen inhibitions and bring people together in social circumstances. However when too much booze is involved and the person gets back into a vehicle claiming to be sober - that is when the line is crossed. People who are over the limit behave in an over confident manner and fool themselves into thinking they are sober when in fact the alcohol has lessened their awareness and they shouldn't be driving. Even the day after a party there is still alcohol in the bloodstream and this is why random testing is just that, random, carried out in the morning, afternoon or evening.
In America it has been proved that even a tiny amount of alcohol can blur and slow down reflexes. It only takes a micro second to make a fatal error, missing, jumping a light, forgetting to look both ways, not checking the mirror - all can be forgotten easily after a drink or two. The big hunk of metal where you feel safe and comfortable can become a killing machine in the hands of someone under the influence of alcohol. You may feel safe and mellow in your steel cocoon, but believe the statistics - you are not.
Nobody would set out to be a crazy drunken driver, it's the delusion that people experience and when they convince people they are not even slightly drunk which is the big problem. Every year the press bombards us with tons of graphic images of traffic victims, advertisers make their campaigns more blood curdling and still the road carnage is frighteningly high. Random testing is a sharp check to make everyone think before they embark on an evening out (or venture out the morning after) where alcohol will be flowing.
Northern Europe, England, Ireland and Western Australia number among the countries already with the random tests in place and prove that the checks inhibit people from driving after drinking. In fact these previously hard drinking countries have responded well to changing their drinking habits and have changed them without their lifestyle suffering. This has in turn made the incidence of drink related traffic accidents a lot fewer.
What possible reason can any of us cite against preventing maiming or death of a small child? Absolutely none! Those who believe it an infringement of their civil liberties need to awake up and smell the coffee! What about the civil liberties of the child lying dead or badly hurt by the roadside, all because someone didn't want to be inconvenienced by taking a breath test? Because that's exactly what it amounts to. All we need is a little more tolerance to bring about the greater good. Surely we can all tolerate a minor inconvenience, if and when we get pulled over? I can for one. How about you?
Drivers have been taking the law into their own hands for years and disobeying rules as they thought they would never get caught, or so they thought! Young, old, male and female, all genders and ages are guilty of this heinous arrogance. There is no reason for this destructive behaviour to continue and random roadside breath testing is the way forward to force these misguided drivers take responsibility for their actions. Drinking can loosen inhibitions and bring people together in social circumstances. However when too much booze is involved and the person gets back into a vehicle claiming to be sober - that is when the line is crossed. People who are over the limit behave in an over confident manner and fool themselves into thinking they are sober when in fact the alcohol has lessened their awareness and they shouldn't be driving. Even the day after a party there is still alcohol in the bloodstream and this is why random testing is just that, random, carried out in the morning, afternoon or evening.
In America it has been proved that even a tiny amount of alcohol can blur and slow down reflexes. It only takes a micro second to make a fatal error, missing, jumping a light, forgetting to look both ways, not checking the mirror - all can be forgotten easily after a drink or two. The big hunk of metal where you feel safe and comfortable can become a killing machine in the hands of someone under the influence of alcohol. You may feel safe and mellow in your steel cocoon, but believe the statistics - you are not.
Nobody would set out to be a crazy drunken driver, it's the delusion that people experience and when they convince people they are not even slightly drunk which is the big problem. Every year the press bombards us with tons of graphic images of traffic victims, advertisers make their campaigns more blood curdling and still the road carnage is frighteningly high. Random testing is a sharp check to make everyone think before they embark on an evening out (or venture out the morning after) where alcohol will be flowing.
Northern Europe, England, Ireland and Western Australia number among the countries already with the random tests in place and prove that the checks inhibit people from driving after drinking. In fact these previously hard drinking countries have responded well to changing their drinking habits and have changed them without their lifestyle suffering. This has in turn made the incidence of drink related traffic accidents a lot fewer.
What possible reason can any of us cite against preventing maiming or death of a small child? Absolutely none! Those who believe it an infringement of their civil liberties need to awake up and smell the coffee! What about the civil liberties of the child lying dead or badly hurt by the roadside, all because someone didn't want to be inconvenienced by taking a breath test? Because that's exactly what it amounts to. All we need is a little more tolerance to bring about the greater good. Surely we can all tolerate a minor inconvenience, if and when we get pulled over? I can for one. How about you?
